Copyright: (C)'95 by Markus Eisenstoeck / Megota Software


yesyes 1 3FALSEyesyesyesAWE Virtual Bank ManagerAWEVBANKyesyes27/11/95


Table of Contents
AWE Virtual Bank Manager V 2.00
(C)'95 by Markus Eisenstoeck / Megota Software

Table of Contents

Introduction

What's new ?

Registration

Upgrade Policy

Main Menu

The Virtual Bankmanager

The AWE32 Manager

Setting Options

Changing Wave Parameters

The Virtual Keyboard

Keyboard Shortcuts

The MIDI-Device

System Requirements

Common Problems and Solutions

Copyright Information and Disclaimer

Reaching the Author


Copyright Information and Disclaimer

The program and it's components are copyrighted by the author.

You are not allowed to use AWEVHELP.DLL, MULITAG.VBX, VB3D.VBX or AWEVBANK.MID for your own programs.

You can copy and spread the unregistered version (Shareware). If you upload this package to any ftp-server, please upload the whole and intact ZIP file and tell me where you put it.

You are not allowed to give anybody a copy that has been registered by you.

The MIDI-device is copyrighted by Mathias Hjelt / Murexware.

DISCLAIMER

The author does not warrant that the AweVBank program will meet your requirements or that the operation of the software will be uninterrupted or error-free. Nor does the author offer any warranties or guarantees of any kind.  Your are free to use AweVBank in any way you see fit, but at your own risk.

The author is not responsible for any problems or damages caused by the software or that may result from using the software; whether it is licensed or not.  This includes, but is not limited to, computer hardware, computer software, operating systems and any computer or computing accessories.  End user agrees to hold the author and/or any persons associated with the creation of this software harmless for any problems arising from the use of this software.

(C) 1995 by Markus Eisenstoeck / Megota Software

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


Introduction

AweVBank has been made and designed to make music-making with the AWE32-soundcard easier. Everyone (even with BIG ram on the card) has the problem, that you don't need the whole SBK but just a few patches from it. That's where AweVBank steps in. It allows you to just load those instruments you really need. It even gives you the power to quickly use any WAV-file without making a full blown SBK out of it. And it gives you the power to change patches while you are running your sequencer.

Ever composed a song and wanted to quickly change a patch ? Just play it as a loop in your sequencer and change the patch with AweVBank ! Or test all your piano-variations if they really fit into this song, or ...

When you use the SysEx-MIDI-device that comes with the program, you can even load your patches automatically.

When you're a user of Cakewalk you can export instrument-definition-files for this sequencer.

AweVBank has also a lot of features to work with it's files. If AweVBank is started with a filename as a commandline parameter, it tries to open that file and loads it. If you link the AWB extension in the filemanager/explorer to AweVBank you can quickly open Virtual Bank-Files just by a double-click. You can also drag&drop AWB-files directly to the program window to open and load them.

AweVBank has extended online-help. Just press F1 whenever you think you need it.

Finally ...

List of features:

Create  Virtual Banks that only have links to patches in SBKs or WAV-files. So you don't have to upload a whole SBK just to get one instrument

Quickly use any WAV as a patch and set it's size (44KHz, 22KHz, 11KHz, mono, stereo) and other parameters like Envelope-settings, while you are using it.

Change patches on the fly while you are using your Sequencer-Software (e.g. Cubase, Cakewalk)

Create Patch-libraries to quickly find patches you need, without searching through all your SBKs

Comes with it's own MIDI-device to automate the loading of patches and SBKs from your sequencer

Visual keyboard to quickly test patches without loading a sequencer. The keyboard can be controlled with your MIDI-keyboard or just by clicking with your mouse

Drag & Drop of AWB-Files directly to the program-window

A really visual approach to the task of patch-managing

Online Help (I think you guessed it by now)


Registration

AweVBank is not public domain software, nor is it free software. The use of AweVBank is subject to the following terms and conditions:  Non-licensed users are granted a limited license to use AweVBank on a 30-day trial basis for the purpose of determining whether AweVBank  is suitable for their needs.  The use of AweVBank, except for an initial 30-day trial, requires registration.  The use of unlicensed copy(ies) of AweVBank by any person or business is strictly prohibited.  Registration entitles you to use AweVBank. The author will provide you with the access code necessary to personalize your copy of the program.

The unregistered Version is fully functional. The only limitation is the annoying registration-reminder when you start and quit the application, or when you load or save a Bankfile.

To register:

Send $15.00 (or equal). currency or check to:

MARKUS EISENSTOECK

Innrain 109

6020 Innsbruck

Austria

Include your name (minimum of ten letters), your EMAIL-address (if you have one) and the version you plan to register.

If you don't want to get the code via EMAIL, add another $2.00 for handling.

After you got your code, just click on the Register-Button or choose Register from the Main-Menu. Here you can enter your name (the one you told me) and the code (the one I sent you). After you pressed OK there's no limitation anymore and no nag-window at startup.

The access code you receive can also be used to register all future versions of the program, free of charge.


What's new ?

To view a detailed listing of the changes which have occurred to AweVBank since its inception, view the CHANGES.TXT file which accompanied this program.

If you have any suggestions for future enhancements, I would very much appreciate hearing them!


Upgrade Policy

When you register AweVBank, you will receive an access code which can also be used to register all future versions of the program, at no further cost to you.  It's just my way of saying "thank you" to those who support the program...

The most recent version of AweVBank can always be downloaded from my Homepage:

HTTP://PC42-C603.UIBK.AC.AT/MEGOTA


The Virtual Bankmanager

The Virtual Bankmanager is where you upload, delete and change patches. In general you initiate any action with a right-click onto the listbox you want to work with, e.g. to delete a patch from the banklist, right-click into that box and select 'delete'

The status-line displays the current task if you do something and it shows if your MIDI-Keyboard is active.

For best performance you should enable the 'Automatic Upload' in Options. This way, all your changes are reflected in RAM on the AWE32 without uploading the bank manually.

The Bank-ListBox:

This listbox shows you what patches are currently loaded in the bank. This listbox is multiselect, so you can select more then one entry for some actions.

Each entry gives you the following information:

001:000 + C:\FILE.SBK/Patch [001]

^   ^   ^ ^           ^     ^

^   ^   ^ ^           ^     ^ Original patch-index in the SBK

^   ^   ^ ^           ^ Name of the patch

^   ^   ^ ^ SBK the patch is taken from

^   ^   ^ Upload status: + means the patch is loaded into the AWE

^   ^ Bank the patch is loaded to

^ Patch number

When you doubleclick an entry, all the other listboxes are updated, so that they are all in sync.

With a right click you get a popup-menu with the options:

Upload Virtual Bank
Uploads the whole Virtual Bank into the AWE32RAM.

Delete Entries
Deletes all entries that are selected.

Set Patch Index
Change the Patch-Index for the current item.

Set Bank-Index
Change the Bank the patches are loaded to for all selected entries.

Set Wave-Parameters
This is only valid, if the selected entry is a wave-file. You get a dialog box where you can set the parameters for the wave-patch.

Copy SysEx to Clipboard
This copies a string to the clipboard that you can use in your sequencer to load the Virtual Bank automatically. For that task you must have installed the SysEx-MIDI-device.

The Directory-Listbox:

In this box you can select the current path to look for your SBK, AWB or WAV-files. You can change the drive or to one of your default directories by right-clicking into the box.

The Files-Listbox:

In this listbox you see all the SBK, AWB and WAV-files in your current directory. This is the place where you select the file you want to work with.

With a right click you get a popup-menu with the options:

Display File-Info
If possible, shows some extra information for the file (like Copyright-info for a SBK).

Edit File
If the file is a SBK, VIENNA or any other SBK-editor that is defined in SBWIN.INI is started. If the file is a WAV, then the corresponding .WAV-Editor is used (normally CTWAV)

The Patches-Listbox:

This listbox shows all the patches that are available for the selected file in the File-Listbox. If the file is a SBK you get all the melodic (no drum) patches in the file. If the file is a AWB you get all the patches that are defined in that Virtual Bank. If it is a WAV file you get the possible formats that you can load from this file. For WAV-files this means, that you can select the size and quality you want to use.

This listbox is multiselect, so you can select more then one entry for some actions.

When you doubleclick an entry, you can add  the patch (if no entry is selected in the Bank-Listbox) or replace the selected entry in the Bank-Listbox.

With a right click you get a popup-menu with the options:

Add Entries
Adds all selected entries to your Virtual Bank. The entries get new upcounting patch-numbers. The default for the bank is the current setting from The Awe32 Manager.

Add Entries with Index
Adds all selected entries to your Virtual Bank. But the entries keep their patch-number.

Replace entries
Replaces the entries that are selected in the Bank-Listbox with the ones selected in the Patches-Listbox.


The AWE32 Manager

Here you can view all the patches that are in the banks. You can refresh and clear banks and you can upload full SBKs.

With the FX-combos you can change the current FX that are used by the AWE32.

The memory-gauge displays how much memory there's left on your card (pretty red if you've only 512KB).

The Bank-Selection Combo:

With this combo you can select which bank on the AWE you want to view. Also this setting is used as the default bank if you add a new patch to your Virtual Bank.

The box displays the current banknumber and the name of the bank plus the filename of the SBK this bank has been loaded from (if available).

The Bank-Information-Listbox:

In this listbox you see all the patches that are currently loaded into this bank. A plus '+' in front of the patchname means, that this patch is from the current virtual bank.

With a right click you get a popup-menu with the options:

Upload Virtual Bank
Uploads the whole Virtual Bank into the AWE32 RAM (same as in the Bankmanager).

Refresh Bank
Gets the original patches for that bank, before you uploaded your own Virtual Bank. If the bank has no SBK it is cleared.

Clear Bank
Removes all patches from that bank. If you loaded a SBK into that bank, it's also removed.

Load SBK-File
Allows you to load a full SBK into that bank. It's the same functionality you have in the AWECP Control Panel.

Set Synth Emulation
Here you can choose the emulation-mode of the AWE (General Midi, General Sound, MT32, User Synth)

Refresh all Banks
Same as Refresh Banks, but it is done with all the banks on the AWE32. That's an easy way to get rid of all the changed you did.

Clear all Banks
Clear all Banks (except Bank 0) and get rid of all patches and SBKs you loaded.


Setting Options

Set the basic options how the program operates with files and your AWE32.

Automatic Upload
Whenever something changes, the AWE32 RAM is updated. That way you have the easiest operation of AweVBank. But maybe it slows you down to much, or you just want to do the uploading by yourself, just uncheck this one.

Display only used patches
If this one is checked, then only used slots/patches in the bank display are shown.

Save/Load User Banks
If this one is not checked, SBKsyou loaded into one of the banks are not saved in your Virtual Bank. So the next time you load the Bank, you've to reload all the extra SBK's by yourself.

Dock Virtual Keyboard
If this one is checked, the virtual keyboard stays at the bottom of AweVBank and follows the main window if you move it.

Window is always on top
If checked, the window always stays on top of all the other programs. So when you use it with your sequencer, you don't lose AweVBank to the background.

Keep Midi always active
Normally AweVBank releases the MIDI-keyboard if it is deactivated. If you want to play, even when the program is not active, check this one..

You can also set the default paths for you SBK and AWB files. These settings are used on File Open and when you want to change the drive/path in the Directory-Listbox.


The Virtual Keyboard

This is basically a normal 4 Octave keyboard. It can be operated with the mouse or with your MIDI-keyboard if you've one connected. If you have one, you can check in the statusbar if it's active.

At the right you can select the value of the leftmost key (C1, C2, C3, C4).

When you hit a key, the color changes. The lighter the color, the harder you've hit (velocity - sensitive)

This window can be turned on/off in the Utilities-Menu.

You can select the patch you want to play by clicking a patch either in the Bank-Listbox or in the AWE32-Listbox. The current patch is displayed in the caption of the window.

Mouse Operation:

Left-click hits that key until you release the button.

Right-click hits the key and lets it play even when you release it.

Double click resets all the notes to silence.


Keyboard Shortcuts

ALT-B	Switch to the Bankmanager

ALT-A	Switch to the AWE32-Manager

ALT-O	Switch to the Options Settings

CTRL-N	Create new Virtual Bank

CTRL-O	Open existing Virtual Bank

CTRL-S	Save current bank

CTRL-M	Start Creative-Mixer

CTRL-P	Start Creative-Controlpanel

CTRL-K	Turn the Virtual Keyboard on/off

CTRL-R	Register your application

CTRL-B	Select all/no entries in the Virtual Bank

CTRL-I	Select all/no entries in the instrument-list

CTRL-U	Upload the Virtual Bank to the AWE

CTRL-L	Load SBK-file

ENTER	Add/Replace all entries in the instrument-list (same as double-click)

CTRL-0 - CTRL-9	Switch to physical bank n


System Requirements

What do you need to get the program running ?

You guessed it, an AWE32-sound card. A SB32 or AWE32-Value Edition should also work.

You also need the AWEMAN.DLL that comes with the original Windows 3.1 drivers.

And the VBRUN300.DLL which is not in the original ZIP. But there are lots of locations where you can get it, if you don't have it already (check your Windows-System-directory).

You can also download those files from my Homepage:

HTTP://PC42-C603.UIBK.AC.AT/MEGOTA


Common Problems and Solutions

AweVBank works fine with Win31 and Win95. But as it is still a 16-bit App it needs some stuff that came with the 16-bit drivers for Win31 from Creative.

Here are some problems that you can get:

Can not find AWEMAN.DLL:

You must have installed AWEMAN.DLL. Check your Windows and System directory. If you don't have it, you maybe did not install the Win31 drivers that came with your Soundcard. If you are using Win95 and you are using the drivers that come with it, you must get AWEMAN.DLL from the driver-disks or download it from my homepage. Then copy it into your windows directory.

The WAV and SBK-editor seems not to work:

Same as above, if you did not install the Win31 drivers the file SBWIN.INI is missing in your Windows-directory. This file shows AweVBank where the WAV and SBK-editors are.

When you play a patch from within AweVBank you get FM-sounds:

AweVBank uses the MIDI-mapper. So the mapper should be set to the AWE32-wave-fx and not to the FM-sounds.

Erratic displays in the AWE-Manager:

You MUST not use AweVBank at the same time with the Control-Panels from Creative.


Main Menu

The Main Menu gives you following commands:

File:

New Bankfile:
Creates a new, empty Bankfile. If you checked 'Automatic Upload' also a Refresh all Banks is done.

Open Bankfile:
Open a Bankfile you worked before.

Save Bankfile and Save as:
Saves the current bankfile.

Export Patchlist for Cakewalk:
This exports the current selected Bank in the AWE32-Manager to a INS-file for later use with Cakewalk. This way you've the proper names for your patches when you use them.

Utilities:

Sound Mixer:
Starts the mixer that came with the Win31-software from Creative.

AWE Control Panel:
Starts the Creative control panel (just wonder why you would do this !)

Virtual Keyboard:
Hides or shows the Virtual Keyboard. Note that you can play with your MIDI-Keyboard even if it is not shown.

Help:

Using Help:
Displays the default information for the help system.

Help Index:
Show this help !

Register:
Here you can enter your registration code.

About the program:
Displays the 'little' about dialog (yes sometimes I'm a child).


Changing Wave-Parameters

With this dialog you can change the parameters that are used when the wave is converted to a loadable patch.

The root key sets the key where the wave is played with it's original pitch:

Loop sets if the wave is looped or not. Currently when loop is checked the whole wave is looped. In future versions there will be an option to set the loop-points.

In the Extended parameter section you can select a parameter and change it's value. So here's the place to e.g. change the Volume-Envelope of the sample. To return a value to it's default, simply clear the value.

The Apply-Button uploads the current settings to the AWE32. This way you can play around without closing the dialog.


Reaching the Author

Via the Internet:

E-mail address:  megota@ping.at

Or, by writing to me at the following address:

Markus Eisenstoeck

Innrain 109

6020 Innsbruck

Austria

If you should have any ideas for product improvement or detect any problems, I am most interested in hearing them!


The MIDI-Device

The MIDI-device that comes with AweVBank has been written by Mathias Hjelt.

Installation & MIDI implementation

Quick and dirty installation

An easy but fake way of installing the Sysex Interface driver is putting in a MIDIx=AWEVSYSX.DRV line under the [drivers] header in SYSTEM.INI. The "x" should be replaced with a number, one higher than that of the highest already available MIDIx= line. So if your [drivers] looks like this, for example..

  midi=sbawe32.drv

  midi1=sb16snd.drv

you should add this:

  midi2=awevsysx.drv

Make sure AWEVSYSX.DRV is available in the System directory, and restart Windows.

Normal installation procedure (Win95)

The fake way of installing the driver works fine under Win3.1, but Win95 has got a new driver handling system which works in a slightly different way (MMSYSTEM saves the multimedia driver setup in its own registry file). Doing the SYSTEM.INI modification will work, but this may be a better procedure:

Open "Add new hardware" in the Control Panel. When the Wizard asks if Windows should look for new hardware, choose No. It'll then prompt for the type of hardware to add - select "Sound, video and game controllers". In the next screen, click "Have disk", and when it prompts for the disk to install drivers from, browse or type in the path to the place where AWEVBANK and all its files including the driver are located (OEMSETUP.INF should be visible). Finish the installation, and restart Windows.

Under Win3.1 you can of course use the Drivers applet in the Control Panel to add a driver, but editing SYSTEM.INI directly gives exactly the same result.

MIDI implementation & theory of operation

The AWE VBank Sysex Interface is a simple driver for MIDI output (MIDI input will be supported in future versions, allowing even more automated dumps). Only one application can use the driver at a time - if you think that's a big limitation, yell out, and it'll be fixed in future versions. The driver requires AWEVBANK.EXE to be running for full functionality, and AWEVHELP.DLL must be available in your Windows or System directory.

The driver recognizes four types messages, all sysex:

 - Reverb type set (GS compatible)

 - Chorus type set (GS compatible)

 - Virtual Bank load

 - Virtual Bank request

Virtual Bank load

The main purpose of the Vbank Sysex Interface is to allow automated loading of Virtual Bank files through sysex messages. The format of the Virtual Bank load message is this:

  F0 41 57 45 ..filename.. F7

Filename should be the complete path, for example C:\WINDOWS\MUSIC\TEST.AWB. The current version limits the maximum length of the message to 256 bytes, but if you think that's too short for your gigantic Win95-style directory and file names, it can be changed.

When the driver receives this kind of a message, the specified Virtual Bank file is loaded into the AWEVbank program which uploads it to the AWE if you have automatic upload enabled. The AWEVbank window is not popped up or anything, it all happens in the background. If the file can't be found, AWEVbank complains.

Virtual Bank request

This function is still a bit limited in the current version, it's only semi-automatic. The point is that you perhaps don't always want to zoom up AWEVbank, load the wanted Virtual Bank, and use the "Copy to Clipboard" pop-up menu function when taking a stored Virtual Bank into use in a new song. Instead of doing that, you can send a request message to the Sysex Interface:

  F0 41 57 45 52 45 51 F7

When this message is received, an Open File dialog is popped up (no special Win95 support yet). When you've picked an .AWB file, a string containing a complete Virtual Bak Load sysex message pointing to this file is copied to the Clipboard, and the file in question is loaded through AWEVbank. Paste the clipboard contents into your sysex editor, and that's it. (Future versions will send the string to the sequencer via MIDI.)

In the SYSEX subdir of the AWEVBANK dir, there's a file called VBANKREQ.SYX containing this message, for those who are too lazy to type it in themselves.

Reverb & Chorus

You may wonder why it supports effects changing, as the regular AWE driver already does that. The catch is that after sending an effects change sysex to the regular AWE driver, you can't change the effects from the AWE Control Panel or AWEVbank anymore, because of a bug somewhere in the driver. If you send the sysex message through the VBank Sysex Interface instead, AWEVbank will set the effects using a safe method, which won't cause any of these problems. So if you want to avoid troble, send all effects changes to this driver instead.

The sysex messages are GS compatible and look like this:

 Reverb:  F0 41 10 42 12 40 01 30 xx 00 F7

 Chorus:  F0 41 10 42 12 40 01 38 xx 00 F7

xx is a number from 0 to 7, indicating the wanted effects type. Included is this package is a bunch of sysex messages, one for each effect, which saves you the job of typing them all in. Just load the desired one and send it to the Vbank Sysex Interface.

Comments

The driver has been tested briefly under Win3.1 and thoroughly under Win95, but bugs may still exist. Bug reports, comments, suggestions etc, are welcome. To mail me, first try the topmost address, if it doesn't work, try the next one, etc:

mhjelt@iki.fi

mhjelt@spider.compart.fi

mhjelt@freenet.hut.fi

This driver doesn't have any shareware limitations as such but you'll of course have the most use of it if you register AWEVbank. The AWE VBank Sysex Interface driver is copyrighted by the author (Mathias C. Hjelt / Murexware).

PS. Check out the AWE Pages of Naked Truth at HTTP://www.compart.fi/~mhjelt/

 --Mathias C. Hjelt / Murexware


Virtual Bank
A Virtual Bank is a file that contains only links to SBK and WAV-files but not the files itself. The advantage is, that you can use single patches from different SBKs without loading the whole SBK.


SBK-File
SBK-files are the standard format for patch-libraries for the AWE32. Currently the drivers for Win31 AND Win95 only support the Soundfont 1 standard.

SBK files can be created and edited with programs like VIENNA.


WAV-Files
WAV-files are the standard format of Win31 and Win95 to save PCM-data. AweVBank supports 8/16 bit, 11KHz, 22KHz, 44KHz, mono, stereo - formats. BUT the WAV-files MUST not be compressed. So if you save them using any compression scheme like ADPCM, you can not use those files with AweVBank.


AWE32 Soundcard
The AWE32 is a soundcard produced by Creative Labs. With it's EMU-chip it supports wavetable-synthesis. The really cool thing, it that you can upgrade the AWE32-memory up to 28MB.

The bad thing is that Creative seems a little like IBM, never let a hardware-company produce any software.


Help file produced by  HELLLP! v2.7 , a product of Guy Software, on 27.11.95 for Unregistered User.

The above table of contents will be automatically completed and will also provide an excellent cross-reference for context strings and topic titles.  You may leave it as your main table of contents for your help file, or you may create your own and cause it to be displayed instead by using the I button on the toolbar.  This page will not be displayed as a topic.  It is given a context string of _._ , but this is not presented for jump selection.

HINT:  If you do not wish some of your topics to appear in the table of contents as displayed to your users (you may want them ONLY as PopUps), move the lines with their titles and contexts to below this point.  If you do this remember to move the whole line, not part.  As an alternative, you may wish to set up your own table of contents, see Help under The Structure of a Help File.

  Do not delete any codes in the area above the Table of Contents title, they are used internally by HELLLP!

Virtual Bank

SBK-File

WAV-Files

AWE32 Soundcard